Why Compression Garments after Liposuction?

Most plastic surgeons will instruct you to wear an elastic compression garment after liposuction in Los Angeles. While it may seem like an inconvenience, wearing the garment is very beneficial for your recovery process and may actually reduce recovery time. Today, I’d like to help you understand how and why they work.

When used after tumescent liposuction, compression garments can help in several important ways. They can:
 

• Encourage excess fluid to drain effectively
• Reduce postoperative swelling
• Minimize bruising
• Help support your new body contours

With tumescent liposuction, there is always some fluid that remains after the procedure. While this is not dangerous, it may increase bruising, swelling, and tenderness. Traditionally, a plastic surgeon would suture the incisions shut after liposuction, forcing the patient’s circulatory system to filter out the remaining fluid often called a “closed-drainage” technique. More recently, surgeons have begun to use an “open-drainage” system, where the incisions are left open to encourage quick draining. When the fluid is allowed to drain quickly, the tenderness, bruising and swelling don’t last as long and the patient recovers faster.

While the length of your recovery will largely depend on the extent of your liposuction and your unique health and anatomy, a compression garment can help make this process shorter. It will encourage the excess fluid to either be absorbed more quickly or drained more quickly regardless of whether your surgeon performs a “closed” or “open-drainage” technique.

Tags: liposuction los angeles

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 26th, 2010 at 9:52 pm and is filed under Liposuction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.